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This told essay is based on a conversation with. dritiparna dal, a human resources expert based in Bengaluru, India. Edited for length and clarity. Business Insider has confirmed her employment history.
I have worked in talent acquisition for nearly 19 years. Specifically, I specialize in technology recruiting and have worked at Yahoo, Google, Dell, and Zendrive before starting my own recruitment agency last year.
When it comes to interviews, there are a lot of questions that you might want to avoid asking until after the candidate has been offered the role, such as compensation and benefits topics and feedback on the technical interview round. However, there are certain things that interviewers want to hear when we receive questions.
Here are four questions I ask at the end of an interview.
1. “Could you tell me about my future team?”
One of the questions that really matters to me is when candidates ask about their future colleagues. We are now in an increasingly social world. All candidates have access to a platform that helps them do their homework on the company. It’s always nice to hear people ask questions about which team they’ll be on and how many buddies they’ll have. If you’re interviewing a manager candidate, it’s a good idea to ask if you’re the only manager, how many team members there are, and what their background is.
2. “Is the opportunity remote or hybrid?”
I always like to hear candidates ask whether their role is in-person, hybrid, or remote, and then ask what the culture is like in each scenario. I love people who prioritize collaboration, because it’s very difficult for many companies to succeed with strong individual contributors alone.
Over the past four years, we’ve also seen companies become more understanding of remote working, given that many people have moved since the pandemic. Questions like this are now welcome, transparency is good, and there are ways to express interest in collaboration regardless of the answer.
3. “What is the growth story for this role?”
By asking this question, you can make the candidate seem very ambitious because they are already considering when and how they can grow in that particular role. This gives the interviewer a good perspective to understand the candidate’s mindset and personal goals. Does the candidate want to lead a team, climb the career ladder, work on a challenging project, etc. It also gives recruiters the opportunity to articulate how they will develop and grow their talent.
4. “What is the biggest challenge currently facing your team, department, or company?”
this is a good question. This is because it shows the hiring manager that the candidate is curious and wants to learn more about the challenges the organization or department will face. This information is rarely posted in the job description or on the company’s website. It is always legitimate to ask for more clarification. For startups, this can be a challenge related to funding. If you’re a high-tech company, you might be moving to new software.
Are you a hiring manager and have a tip to share? Email this reporter: shubhangigoel@insider.com